It was important to me that my children have the opportunity to attend Montessori, at least for the 3-6 program. Once that time came around for my son, none of my friends had children in a Montessori school, no one at work had children in a Montessori school, and our geographically closest family wasn’t sure what Montessori was. When the owner of the school told me about something positive my son had done and called him by name, I came home and told my husband, “Even if no one knows us, she knows his name.”
She offered everyone at the school the opportunity to subscribe to Tomorrow’s Child, a Montessori parents’ magazine. I love magazines and I wanted to feel that I knew more about Montessori than my own school experience.
I found information and connection in those issues. I peeked at the background of pictures of materials. My child (who never told me much about school) told me about his own use of the Montessori materials pictured in the articles, and I finally felt like I knew enough to be a parent at the school. I learned that it was okay that my son did not know letter names; in fact, that was even helpful.
One week, a parent referred to me as a parent organization leader. While I was still contemplating that, the school owner asked me about building on to my Montessori education and becoming a certified Montessori guide. I used Tomorrow’s Child as a resource for papers I needed to write and to continue to help me feel a part of a larger community.
When we were not sure about whether my son should move on to elementary or spend a fourth year in primary, I trusted that there was more for him to learn in primary because I was more informed by reading the magazine. When we needed to decide about staying in our private Montessori school or going to traditional public school, we used Tomorrow’s Child as another resource to help us make the decision.
Then a few years later, I got a call just before going into PetSmart to get rabbit food. So, I froze in my car in that parking lot and spoke with Tim Seldin about teaching opportunities and his work with Tomorrow’s Child. I went back through my copies before I traveled down the east coast for interviews and made sure I packed them before I moved.
Slowly, my experience with Tomorrow’s Child was coming full circle, and I had knowledge and experience to share with other parents. Seeing that other parents around the world chose to provide a Montessori experience for their children provided me with a community from the beginning. I have been happy to help others find that community as a part of the magazine.
